Management of Acquired Cardiac Disease in the Obstetric Patient

Physiologic changes incurred by pregnancy can cause severe decompensation in the parturient with underlying cardiac disease. The result is increased morbidity and mortality for both mother and child. Appropriate anesthetic management can significantly impact these outcomes. This review systematically presents the pathophysiology, peripartum risk, and anesthetic management in the puerperium of specific acquired cardiac abnormalities including: valvular disease, pulmonary hypertension, cardiomyopathy, cardiac transplantation, ischemia, arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest.